Blaming

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."

I met with my manager to explain the reasons why one of my projects was not going well, and he cut me off and said he was tired of my excuses. I said these are facts, not excuses. He said I was playing semantics and then blamed everything on me. The meeting soon ended with nothing resolved. What should I do now?
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I hired a manager for one of our financial areas six months ago, and since he has been here, turnover in that area has gone way up. I know he is strict, and I am concerned that he may be too strong and aggressive for our employees. What's the best way to deal with him and the turnover situation?
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My manager kept rushing me on my project, and when it was done, it was not very good. Now he is upset with me, but I don't think it's my fault. He pushed me too hard to meet his deadline, and I think it's his fault that the project fell short. What do you think?
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We conduct group interviews, and we just finished up interviewing a good applicant for an accounting position. The only problem was that he was extremely negative in describing most of his previous employers. His comments were bitter, mean, and unnecessarily insulting. We are split on what to do. What do you think?
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I sit across from an obnoxious kiss-up. She works hard when the boss is here, but leaves me with our shared work when he is out. I have had to confront this behavior a number of times. I am trying to avoid telling my boss how she behaves, but I have asked to change workstations. I think my boss may be mad at me. Now what?
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Our supervisor is a nasty and critical person, the manager over her is just as bad, and they both are especially mean to me. I am friendly with my fellow employees, and they have all noticed that I am picked on and blamed more than anyone else. I don't know what to do.
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I was unable to attend a management meeting that was run by our regional vice president. I learned afterwards that one of the other managers criticized my work, my attitude, and the way my department is performing. His comments were inaccurate and hurtful. I cannot let this go, but I am not sure if I should go directly to the vice president or to this manager first.
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I delegated a project to one of my employees, and although I worked with him and guided him along the way, he needed an extension on the due date, and the final report missed the mark. Now my manager tells me this is as much my failure as his, and I do not agree. Do you?
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There is an employee in my department who refuses to accept the blame when he makes a mistake. No matter what happens, it is always someone else's fault. I have talked to him about this, but he hasn't changed. How should I deal with him?
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My manager blames others when his projects fall apart. When I needed an extension on one of my projects because of a problem with another department, my manager said it is just like me to blame others for my failures. That is not true. How should I deal with this?
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My manager did some unauthorized work on one of our computers and destroyed the hard drive. When he was reprimanded by our director, he changed his story and emailed her a distorted timeline of events and blamed me for what happened. Fortunately, our director was on my initial emails and is completely on my side. How do I deal with this manager? Read Ken's Answer

Whenever our manager makes a mistake, he blames one of us and is verbally abusive if we challenge him. He is in a very senior position in the company, and there is no one to go to if we want to complain. Is there anything we can do to get him to admit his mistakes and stop blaming us?
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My manager emailed some questions about one of our company's programs, and I immediately stopped what I was doing and spent a few hours handling his request. I emailed my write-up to him, and he emailed me back and said I did everything wrong. I told him that my interpretation of his request could easily have been the right way to go. He told me to do it again, and do it his way. I think this was his failure, and he thinks it was mine. What do you think? Read Ken's Answer

At the end of a recent meeting, one of my co-workers blurted out that I have not been very effective in carrying out my responsibilities, so her work has suffered. I was caught totally off guard, and then the meeting ended. I spoke with our manager afterwards, but I don't think I had much of an impact. By the way, the employee later apologized for stabbing me in the back. What should I do now?
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I have an employee who often fails to meet standards and deadlines on the projects I give her, but she always has an excuse. Never once has she said that a poor outcome is her fault. I am tired of the excuses, and I am wondering how to deal with them.
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There is one person I work with who has a knack of shifting the blame from himself to me every time he does some-thing wrong. He is well liked by management, and if I ever complain, I will look like the bad guy. How do I deal with him?
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I have an employee who blames others whenever she makes a mistake. Even when there is no question that a problem developed because of her decisions, she will still point the finger at someone else. If I tell her she is wrong, she becomes defensive. How do you deal with someone like this?
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I was at a management meeting when one of the other managers said that several major problems have been caused by my employees. When I tried to defend myself and them, he interrupted me several times, and our manager (who was running this meeting) cut me off several times, too. After a few minutes, our manager stopped the argument and said itís time to move on. The meeting continued, but Iím still burning and wonder what to do.
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